Namibia is gearing up for an exciting weekend of football as it prepares to host two international teams from Germany and South Africa in the first-ever HopHydro Cup tournament.
The much-anticipated event will take place in the capital at the CBS Arena.
It will mark a significant milestone in Namibia’s sporting calendar.
The tournament starts on Friday, and ends on Sunday.
It is expected to bring together top-tier talent, and provide a thrilling experience for football enthusiasts.
The U/18 junior football tournament will welcome South African powerhouse Mamelodi Sundowns and German second-tier side Nürnberg at the Jan Möhr football field.
At the same time, Namibia will field Collin Benjamin Soccer Academy (CBS) and a selected team from the Khomas region.
Head coach of the Brave Warriors Benjamin said this is a step in assisting the government and the Namibia Football Association in exposing youngsters to international football.
“This is not only good for CBS, but for every football fan who would like to watch the matches as we go out to measure our level to the others outside of the country,” he said.
He is delighted that his academy will now be able to face off with two competitive sides since they won the U/19 MTC HopSol Youth Cup in their age group.
“The boys have steadily been growing and winning the MTC HopSol YSL U19 age group twice, even though they were only 17. This means that we must expose them to international opponents. With this said, there is room for improvement as well,” he said.
Robert Hopperdietzel from HopHydro Energy said they first want to see how this new idea gets perceived by the public.
“We want to see enthusiastic support from the public for this event at CBS Arena. In case our new idea and adventure work out well, we are thinking about a Namibian national knockout tournament during the year, and qualification of the best performer for the next International HopHydro Cup in the year thereafter,” he said.
He added that they want to continue measuring themselves against other teams.
“We think about top teams worldwide. It is about measuring Namibian talent with the global best performers. From this, we will know where Namibia stands, and what we must do next,” he remarked.
“It will not only bring much-needed competitiveness in youth football but also a pool of players to the senior national team. It is my big dream that, one day, the Brave Warriors will participate in the World Cup,” he said.
Hopperdietzel stated that the organisation of the tournament and related international logistics were a challenge, which they have embraced head-on, as everything has come together.
“We have worked now for many months with the support of international sponsors and experts for that one goal. But I think we are there. I will be more relaxed when the opening match between CBS Academy and Mamelodi Sundowns kicks off Friday this week at 16h00,” he revealed.
Henrico Botes, the head coach of CBS, said they are up and ready for the tournament, as they have been focusing on the players’ fitness levels from the holidays.
“We sent a training programme, which they should have done during the break. Not all of them stuck to it, which is expected, as they are teenagers”, he said.
“Our aim is to prepare well for this tournament, because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them to compete at that level. We need this type of opponent and matches for them to grow, develop and be better. Once they get to the national team, they would have a foundation to play.”
“Apart from winning friendships, it is our aim to market CBS players for international teams, and for any Namibian young aspiring footballer out there to start training and be serious about going all the way with football, or to just leave it. Professional football needs players who do a bit more than what is asked,” Benjamin said.
-slunyangwe@nepc.com.na